Metro, Rymdkapsel, Quell Memento and Tetris Blitz

Rated M (Mature) for intense violence, nudity, strong language and the use of drugs and alcohol

What will the world look like after the bombs fall? Can God exist in a place without hope? When man’s desire to survive overrides his morality, is the empire he constructs worth saving? Those are among the questions raised by Metro: Last Light. This (cheery!) first-person shooter game about postnuclear survival from the Russian studio 4A Games is a follow-up to its flawed 2010 gem, Metro 2033.

As it did in Metro 2033, 4A demonstrates a mastery of the alchemy of atmosphere. The game’s underground Russian cities bustle and radiate with wretched life, and each location has been designed with a rare degree of detail. But the characters themselves feel half-formed. You’ll regularly watch waxen humans talk, slowly turning their unmoving faces toward and away from you like animatronic figures.

Two of Metro 2033’s most distinctive elements make a welcome return in Last Light: the gas mask and bullet-based currency. Instead of coins or bills, the people of Metro use military-grade ammunition as money. These bullets are kept separate from “everyday use” ammo and can be used to buy weapon upgrades. If you’re facing off against a dangerous enemy and need more firepower, though, you can decide to load up a clip of money bullets and attack for more damage. Woe is you, standing there, firing a clip of money into an enemy, praying it dies quickly. You may wind up broke, but you’ll live.

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The underground cities of Metro, a game about postnuclear survival, bustle with wretched life. Each location has been designed with a rare degree of detail.CreditDeep Silver

RYMDKAPSEL

Released on May 7

Developed and published by grapefrukt games

For PlayStation Mobile and iOS

Rated E (Everyone)

Rymdkapsel is a real-time base-building game with a Tetris twist. The Swedish developers call it “meditative space strategy.” It’s quite simple. Place odd-shaped floors of different colors on a plane in outer space. Command little rectangular men to farm on or work in these spaces to generate resources to build more spaces and feed more workers. Rally the little men to defend the base against alien invaders every so often. Survive and repeat.

This is a minimalist game, a stripping down of the real-time-strategy genre that went baroque with the visually and technically complex top franchises StarCraft and Company of Heroes. Games like Rymdkapsel improved the other way, avoiding the sprites and models that trick gamers into thinking they’re looking at little tanks or fighter planes or whatever. Instead, like chess, the game is played with symbols and a vague awareness of metaphor. Rymdkapsel makes its more ornate competitors feel needlessly garnished.

QUELL MEMENTO

Released on May 23

Developed by Fallen Tree Games

Published by Bulkypix

For iOS

Rated 4+ (Players 4 and older)

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Tetris Blitz puts on bright colors and gives you just two minutes to finish.CreditEA

The third in a series of Zen-like puzzlers from Fallen Tree Games, Quell Memento builds on the theme of the original Quell and Quell Reflect, sifting through the jumbled memories of a life lingering in an old abandoned house.

There is a story weaving in and out of more than 150 logic-and-movement puzzles. As players navigate raindrops through obstacle-laden mazes, attempting to collect pearls in as few moves as possible, the voice of an elderly gentleman offers snippets of commentary on the life events the puzzles represent.

New gameplay elements are introduced as players journey through this man’s life, reflecting his emotions in puzzle form. For example, there’s a set of 12 puzzles in a series called “A Cold Heart” that introduces ice and teleporting rings to the game. The inspiration for these elements becomes clear as one progresses.

Quell Memento is a clever, thoughtful and relaxing puzzle game that will make you wonder how people might one day piece together the memories you left behind.

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Rymdkapsel is a base-building game with a Tetris twist.Creditgrapefrukt games

TETRIS BLITZ

Released on May 23

Developed and published by EA

For iOS and Android

Rated 4+ (Players 4 and older)

Fans of the original shape-stacking game Tetris are often torn when it comes to offshoots and variations. Tetris is pure and beautiful as it is.

Tetris Blitz dresses up the original in bright colors and gives you just two minutes on the game clock. There’s no time to spin your bits about, looking for the perfect fit. Instead, each piece presents a number of possible drop points. Purists can opt to handle things manually, but letting the game do the work is much faster and yields better results. Speed is of the essence here.

New toys mix things up. Lasers destroy entire rows. Avalanches rain pieces down on the board, filling in the blanks. There’s no charge for Tetris Blitz’s manic two minutes, but there’s always a cost. In this case it’s the price of power-ups. As you play you’ll earn coins, which can be used for power-ups between rounds. But the really good stuff costs, and those point explosions are intoxicating. If you want to keep them going, eventually you’re going to have to pay real money.

The game is popular. It was played 43 million times in its first week of release, according to EA. For some, a short bout of Tetris hits the spot.

These edited and condensed reviews are from the writers and editors of the gaming site Kotaku.com. Full reviews are at kotaku.com/nytselects.